2.  Hold down your left mouse button and slide the cursor down to highlight the section you want to send/save.

3.  Go to the 'edit' option at the top of your screen and click on 'copy.'  When you do this nothing will appear to have happened. But.....

4.  Go to your email section or your word processor or wherever you want to put the data.

5.  Click your mouse on the page where you want to store the data.

6.  Go to the edit function on that program and click on 'paste.'  as amazing as it seems the data you wanted to copy appears on the page you wanted it on.  (If you click paste again it will appear again, and on and on.  you can click paste on several programs and as long as you don't 'cut' or 'copy' something else your info will keep being 'pasted.'

BUT:

How in the world can i follow this list without going back and forth and back and forth?  EASY, she says.  SLAP HER, your mind says.  BUT, here's another trick:

Look at the top right of your screen.  You should see. from left to right, a line, a single or double box, and an 'x.'

Do the following as you read this:

1.  Click on the double box and you will make your window smaller.  You will notice that all the information is there but it is cramped into a smaller window.  You can move around in the window just as you did when the window was full-sized.  This smaller window will be either in the middle or to the side of your screen.  Now you want it to be on one side or the other.

2.  Move your cursor to the top, bottom or either side of the new, smaller window.  If you place the cursor on the perimeter of the window, you will see the blinking line change to a line with arrows on both ends.

3.  While holding down your left mouse button you can change the size and/or shape of the window.  Drag your mouse up or down or right or left to make the window the size you want and in the position you want it.  (Don't get discouraged if your movements are a bit hurky-jurky at first.  It will get easier with practice.)

4.  Go to the other page, e.g., your email, and do the same thing.  Now you have two windows side by side.  You can move up and down, side to side within each window so that you can follow step by step the above 'trick.'

Of course, when you want your window back to full size again, then click on the single box in the upper right corner of your window.

Trust me.  In no time at all, you will be using these methods regularly, and without referring to these notes. 

Terminology:

Floppy Drive:  Drive A or the drive that can hold the 3" x 3" diskette

Program:  The actual application you use to operate on the computer.  Examples of programs:  Microsoft Word, Excel, Lotus 1-2-3, Netscape Navigator, Internet Explorer, Quicken, Turbo Tax, etc.

File:  A document that you create within a program.  For instance, if you do your taxes with Turbo Tax, you would create a file that you would name something like 'DickTax,' or in Quicken, 'Checkbook.' a spreadsheet in Excel like 'IBM,' or in Word a letter named 'Allison.'    If you have saved the file 'Allison' before, the program will ask if you want to replace the existing file named 'Allison.'  You might want to save this file as Allison1.  If you want to replace the existing file, answer yes.

Making a back-up of our file:
1.  Go to Start, Programs, then Windows Explorer (it will be one of the last files on your list of programs.)

2.  Find your file (actually this is the hard part).  You will probably find it under 'my files,' 'my documents,' or program files.  Try to notice where your files go when you save them.  (Or, while you are working with the file go to the menu, File, Save As..., and it will probably show you where you have saved your file.)

3.  The Windows Explorer program has two windows within one.  The one on the left lists the folders and the one on the right lists the contents of the folders.  When you find a file within a folder, click your right mouse button on it.  This will reveal a drop down menu.  The third on your list of choices is 'Send to...' and the first of your drop-down menu choices is '3 1/2 floppy A:'  Click on '3 1/2 floppy A."

4.  The computer will ask you to insert a blank 3 1/2 floppy diskette in drive A:.  Press enter and a copy of the file will be saved on the floppy disk.  It will also remain on your hard drive.

5.  You should get in the habit of saving files to your floppy diskettes on a regular basis.  If you make changes to a file daily, then you would want to be sure to make copies of that file weekly.  If you save the file on the same diskette, the computer will ask you if you want to replace the existing file.  Usually you would do this.

6.  There is rarely any point in copying the actual programs in which these files are stored.  You would usually have a copy of the original program on your own floppy or CD Rom.  Therefore, when you back-up or save a file on your floppy or A drive, you are just saving the file itself, not the program.

Usually new diskettes are formatted when you buy them.  (That just means that they are set up in such a way so that they can accept files or programs.)  If your diskette is not formatted, the PC will ask if you want to format it.  You will answer Yes or Y.  You will then be warned that if you format A you will lose all information on that diskette, do you want to continue?  You would probably say yes.  Be sure to label all floppies that you use to back up a file and the date you backed it up.

Never store floppies near magnets or batteries.  The data that you stored on those diskettes could be damaged or wiped out completely.